The Sun. — London, England, 1838-04-09 00:00:00

COURT CIRCULAR. Her Majesty and the Duchess of Kent attended divine service yesterday morning in the Chapel Royal St. James's. her Majesty the Queen Dowager and his Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge also attended thy, service. The musical servic e was Arnold's in C. r.st Artlabiihop of Canterbury preached the sermon. n ;:fre anthem was Who is tit wat enmeth from Edoe:[. (Arnold). Si r G eorge Smart presided at the o rgan , The Bish o p o f N orwich was the Clerk of the Closet in W aiting. Her Majesty was attended by Lady Portman, Miss Cavendish, Miss Lister, Viscount Falkland, Mr. Rich, and Colonel Wemyss. The Duchess of Kent was attended by Lady Mary Stopford. The Queen Dowager w Countessas attended by the of Mayo, Miss 13oyle, and the Earl Howe. lier Majesty, accompanied by her Royal Highness the Duches s of Kent, visited the National Gallery on S durday. Sir Martin Archer Shee, President of the Royal Acadenn , and the officers of the institution received her M.jesty. The _Queen was attended by Lady Portman, the Lord Cham. berlain, Viscount Falkland, Mr. Rich, and Colonel Wemyss. Lady Mary Stopford was in attendance on the Duchess of Kent. Her Majesty and the Duchess of Kent visited the Queen D owager at Marlborough House on Saturday afternoon. The Princess Augusta attended divine sersice yesterday at st. P hilip's Chapel, Regent -street. Her Royal Highness 'was attended by Lady Mary Pclham. Desp atc h es were sent off from the Colonial Office on Satur day tight for the Governor of Gibraltar. A Cabinet Council was held at the Foreign Office on Sa turday afternoon. All the Ministers were present except Viscount Dungannon. The Council sat two hours. Viscount Melbourne had an audience of her Majesty on Sa turday. The French Ambassador transacted business on Saturday at the Foreign Office. The Queen honoured the performance of the opera of La 'la di Lammermoor, on Saturday evening, at her Majesty's theatre with her presence. The Duchess of Kent accom panied her Majesty. The Q ueen was atte nded by Lady Port nl", th e Lord Chamb er l a i n , Viscount Falkland, M r . Ri c h , and the Wemyss. Lady Mary Stopford was in waiting on are Duchess of Kent. 'rho Duke and Duchess of Cambridge had a dinner party on Saturday at Cambridge House. The company includ e d t h e Duch ess -Countess of Sutherland, 'Marquis and Marchioness of Downshire, Earl and Countess of Tankerville, Earl and Countess of Munster, Earl of Aberde'en, Earl of Clare, 'Vis count and Viscountess Beresford, Viscount and Viscountess Canning, Lord and Lady Stuart do Rothsay, Lord and Lady Jernima Elliot, Lords Alvanley, Abinger, Villiers, Ossulston, and Cantalupe. In the evening their Royal Highnesses ho noured with their presence the assembly given by the Duchess of Sutherland at Sutherland House. Prince George of Cambridge honoured Sir Robert and Lady Peel with his company at dinner on Saturday, in White hall-gardens. The party to meet his Royal Highness in cluded Prince Esterhazy, the Austrian Ambassador ; Count Pozzo di Borgo, the Russian Ambassador ; Baron Bulow, the Prussian Minister ; the Duke of Wellington, Marchioness of Salisbury, Marquis of Douro, Earl and Countess of Jersey, Earl and Countess de Grey, Prince Paul Lieven, Count Chabot, Lord Alford, and Mr. F. Villiers. A Committee meeting of the Lords of her Majesty's most honourable Privy Council was held at two o'clock on Satur day afternoon, at the Council-office, on the subject of her Majesty's Coronation. The Lords present were the Arch bishops of Canterbury and York, the Bishop of London, the Earl Marshal, the Lord President, the First Lord of the Treasury, the Secretaries of State for the Home and Colonial Departments, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Presi dent of the Board of Control, the Presid en t o f t h e B oard of Trad e , t h e Secretary at War, the Lord Steward, and the Master of the Horse. Their Lordships agreed to certain orders to the Earl Mar shal, the Lord Steward, the Lord Charnberland, the Master of the Horse, the Surveyor-General of the Woods and Forests, and the Master-General of the Ordnance, to send i n particul ars o f those matters requisite for her Majesty's coronation. Their lordships adjourned shortly before three o'clock. Messrs. Peter Martineau George Martineau, and Mac Fie, sugar refiners ; Mr. Fairrie and Mr. William Gibson Craig, M. P., had an interview with the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the President of the Board of Trade on Saturday, in D owning -street. Messrs. Moffatt and Badgley had an interview with Lord Glenelg on Saturday at the Colonial-office. MONEY and COMMERCIAL MARKET. (From tho Morning Papers of this Morning, Monday.) TINIES.—The more the return of the quarter's revenue is considered, the more surprise and misgiving as to the future it excites in the city. Mr. Spring Rice's anticipations in va rious ways cannot, it is calculated, amount to much less than 2 ,000,0001. In the first place his advances from the Bank arc, on the face of th, return, about 300,0001. more than in the pril quarter of last year ; then there has been a sum at his disposal in the course of the last quarter of 400,0001., arising out of the surplus deposits of the saving -banks, and with which neither stock nor Exchequer. bills have been purchased ; and last, there are his large anticipations, already frequently adverted to, of the income of the July quarter, now com menced, and which must considerably exceed 1,000,0001. Of course there can be no purchases either ford sinking-fund or for the account o f t h e saving- b anks for a long time to come, and th e once of the Commissioners who have so long had the ma a4ge•Ment of them will become a sinecure. MORNING POST. —The return published in last night's Ga zette of the quarterly a►erages of the weekly liabilities and assets of the Rank of England, for the quarter ended the 3d instant, exhibits no variation of consequence. The average stock of bullion held by the Bank exceeds the amount stated in the return published last month by 111,0001. The rest, or reserved fund, of the proprietary, has increased to the extent of 43,0001., which rnore than covers the sum taken by the Directors to enable them to make up the dividend. The item has in fact been upon the increase now for several months past. The particulars collected from the present returns, as compared with those applicable to the month of March, are as follow :—The circulation has increased from 18,600,0001. to 1 8,987,0001. The deposits have decreased from 11,535,000/. to 11,262,000/. The securities have increased from 22 ,792,000/, to 22,838,0001., the stock of bullion from 10,015,000/. to 10,1 9 6,000/., and the rest. or reserved fund of the Bank, from 2,672,0001. to 2,715,000/. MORNING CHRONICLR.—The monthly official return of the quarterly average of the weekly liabilities and assets of the h s n t. k of Engl an d f or t h e t h ree months ending the 3d. inst , with_ "en published ; from which it a pp ears t h at , as compare d _the 7,000/. last report, there is an in crease i n t h e c i rcu l at i on o f i . tO the difference between 18,600,0001., and 18,987,000/. decrease 11 7- in the deposits of 273,0001., the balance between 4,0 00/. and 11, 0 62,C00/. ; an increase in the securities of 46,0001., the excess of 22,838,000/. over 22,792,0001.: and !fincrease in th e stoc k o f b u lli on of 111,0001., the difference between i tW een 10,015 , 00 0 1 . and 10,126,000/. There is also an in rease in the rest or surplus capital of 43,0001., the excess of 2,713,000/. over 2,672,0001. The above does not offer any ma tc,rial matter for remark, the only important item being a falling Orns wale extent of increase in the stock of bullion, but this is at °nee accounted for by the large shipments of the precious me tals which have been made for the United States, These, however, have not been effected to the extent intended, and the Bank of England, we understand, has suspended any fur ther exportation on their account. It is said, that apprehen aive of the consequences of the misunderstanding with the Batik of the United States, the Directors have absolutel f feit e d the policies of insurance upon a very large amoun y t or- of Il mney. Taken at the lowest calculation, at one per cent„ there is a dead loss on this head, we are informed, of 15,000/. It is unnecessary to say that the amount intended to be shipped must have been 1 , 5 00,000/., yet we were told by those who are the regular supporters of the Bank, that the whole to be sent to the United States would not exceed 500,0001. To our knowledge the transmission of 1,000,000/. was contemplated, and this we stated at the time, but it is evident that a much more extended operation was to have been made, for a consi derable quantity has already been shipped, which must neces sarily be added to the 1, 500,000/. now withheld, making alto gether between 2 ,000,0001. or 3,000,0001. The resolution of the Bank Directors will doubtlessly tend to retard the imme diate returns of credit and confidence in the United States, for the arrival of a considerable amount of bullion at the moment of resuming cash payments would have given animation to every thing; but it is still to be hoped that suitable arrangements have been made by different banks of the union for this desirable object, and that all due precautions have been taken. IiERAI.D. —The extraordinary defection which has taken place in the public revenue has given 1-se to no small degree of discussion amongst our commercial interests, and it is con aidered by practical men that Mr. Spring Ric e w ill h ave some tr ouble i n exp l a i ning, in consequence, to Parliament how far the modern doctrine of free trade has benefited either the re poue or th e commerce of the country. To show, however, w little the movements of the present party in power have Influ ence Upo n t h e pu b lic securities, we need only repeat that their value he 9 not declined on the Stock Exchange, which V ma y be ascribed, so far as the public securities of the country , to the fortuitous circumstance that money cannot be pro `ablY employed to any extent in commercial purposes. It will not be necessary to enter into an analysis of the pre tentower means of th e B an k of England ; but it shows that the c P of that p retended national csablishment to serve the a _ urn rnereial i nterests of this vast community have increased, commercial it into be hoped that the giant strength of their monopoly will not in future be abused. The f o ll owing remarks upon the specie policy of the United States will be read with some interest by our commercial Men The l arge i mportation of specie, which some of our banks ) ""T o rdered, will b eg i n to come i n upon us after the packets it t he I st and B t h o f F e b ruary: and i f they do not unsettle be e speci e b allast of Great Britain again, the importation will a he a l t h y stimulus for us in the resumption of specie pay mu ;CrY"t 3 . Tho currency of Great Britain is at this moment in a sound state, seldom or never sounder, the Bank of Eng and showing the acquisition of a great increase of bullion, and tha decrease of circul at i on , while at the same time m oney i s nd ant at a l ow rate of interest, and there is no gr ea t dis ain the community. These are all signs of health, wh:_le ;o reverse would be signs of disease. If we disorder this quiet i:),,s!rained efforts to engross more than our proportion of the ul lion of the world, the cow.equences will recoil on us. Our tej, tton, tobacco, rice, and stocks will first feel the shock, and h ave again would be re-enacted the scenes of a year ago. We e learned the great lesson, by the most melancholy expc rietee port that gold bills, adulteration of the coin, and forced im anons of specie do mischief instead of good." COVENT GARDEN. w c O a n r e Saturday o e s v a c y n t i l n ,R g t r ah . o l u I s a c e c r e r.o ad y y d e t d o ok i n his e b r n ,r‘ cfi ; and lied the sense which the public twi .....,Lertain tlic ° lngh Ciaitn which this gentleman for ./as upon ;their g ra titude— , not merely wolf as an actor, but his honourable and successful efforts, as a manager, to revive the legitimath drama. On this occasion, in accordance With his usual practice on his berefit nights, Mr. Macready presented the public with a play never before acted, Lord Byron's tragedy of the Two rokari. This, as many of our readers may be aware, is an historical play, and is founded on a portion of the history of Venice, which may thus shortly be expressed :—ln 1445, Jacques Foscari, son of Francis Foscari (who was then, and had been, since 1423, D oge o f V en i ce), was accused of having received presents from certain foreign princes —and, in particular, from the Duke of Milan—an offence of a most serious nature against the laws of the Repub lic. The celebrated " Council of Ten" had the acusA brought before them, and his father, the Doge, who would not bo persuaded from filling his place as head of that terrible tribunal ; Jacques was declared guilty, and sentenced to perpetual banishment, He had been absent several years, when the Chief of the Councilor Ten was assassinated. Sus picion falling on Jacques Foscari, a servant of his who had been seen in Venice, was put to the torture, but persisted in maintaining his innocence. At this time, however, a letter was discovered from the banished Foscari to the Duke of Milan, requesting his assistance to put an end to his exile. To claim the protection of a foreign power was, in a subject of Venice, an unpardonable offence. Jacques Foseari was brought again before the Council of Ten, and there, in the presence of his father, who unshrinkingly re tained his seat as President, was cruelly tortured : he confessed the letter, and was again sentenced to perpetual exile, with the addition of a year's confinement in a dungeon. While taking leave of his son, the Doge was earnestly en treated by him to mitigate his sentence; but though the feel ings of tile father were strong within him, a stern sense of public duty compelled him to reply, " No, my son ; submit to your sentence—obey, without- murmuring, your countrys decree." This passage in Venetian history forcibly reminds us of the story of the Roman Consul, who, with unshaken nerve, beheld his son beheaded for treason to the Republic. This stern stoicism indeed appears a fit inhabitant only of the city where dwelt " the men of iron." But Venice, which has been styled as correctly as beautifully, " Rome of the Ocean," resembled " the Commonwealth of Kings," particularly in this respect —as the poet himself describes it—that, An individual be h e richestin of such a state Such rank as is permitted, or the meanest Without a name, is alike nothing, when The policy irrevocably tending To one great end must be maintained in vigour." And when the Venetian Prince is told— " You aro more doge than father," he replies— " I am more citizen than either; If we had not for many centuries had thousands of such citizens, and shall, I trust, have still such, Venice were no city." The story above narrated, though not affording any great variety of incident, finely illustrates that most sacred of hu man emotions, paternal affection, as contending with the stern obligations of public duty; and in the tragedy before us it is in vested with a deep and touching interest. The tragedy opens at that stage of the story when Jacques Foscari (Mr. Anderson) is about to be subjected to the tor ture. Here Marina ( Miss H. Faucit), his wife, is introduced; her character, that of an affectionate, devoted, warm-hearted woman, is beautifully drawn, and found an excellent repre sentative in .Miss Faucit. Here also we find that Loredano (Mr. Warde), a principal member of the Council of Ten, is the sworn foe of the Foscari, from a belief that his father and uncle were poisoned by the Doge, and from his agency proceeds all the persecution which the Foscari family meet. In the second act the Doge ( Mr. Macready) is represented, after having witnessed in his official capacity, the cruel tor tures of his son—endeavouring to subdue by the re collection of what is due to his country, those natural emotions which, though rending his heart, are only manifested in the trembling of his hands, and the deep, yet calm, anguish depicted on his countenance. From the first moment to the last the aged Prince excites our strongest sympathy by the in tensity, the sacre d ness of his grief. And it would be im , possible for the character to be more admirably personated than it is by Mr. Macready, whose powers of acting are especially adapted for the expression of any deeply seated, overpowering emotion—veiling itself, as " a grief too great for words," under outward calmness, or stoical firmness. In the language of the poet, he well pourtrayed -" the repressed convulsion of the high And princely brow of the old father, which Broke forth in a slight shuddering, tho' rarely, Or in some clammy drops soon wiped away In stern sereuity." There is a fine scene in which Marina reproaches the Doge for his aprarcnt insensibility —her clamor ous grief contrasting well with the silent anguish of the old man. Loredano comes to announce the decree of the " Ten," that Jacques Foscari be perpetually banished. The Doge hears the sentence unmoved; but when his enemy re tires nature almost breaks forth. The poet and the actor combined to render the conclusion of the scene most affecting. When asked what message he will send to his son, the Doge answers " That he obey the laws ;" but the father triumphs over the sovereign, and reflecting that it is "the last time be shall see his last of children," he adds, " Tell him I will come." The third act shows us young Foscari within those gloomy walls, "which never echoed but to sorrow's sounds." A most pathetic scene follows, where he describes to his wife, Marina, who is allowed to visit him (and share his exile) the agony of parti ng f rom hi s b e l ove d country, he exclaims, when she exhorts him to bear his punishment with fortitude, You never Saw day go down upon yon native spires, So calmly with its gold and crimson glory, And after dreaming a disturbed vision Of them and their's, awoke and found them not." Mr. Anderson, we must observe, played his part well, and gave great effect to the beautiful poetry of the play. When Loredano makes his appearance to gloat on the misery of his victim, Miss Faucit uttered with splendid energy the eloquent denunciations which the poet has put into the mouth of Mari na:—her manner of delivering the line " I have pierced him to the core of his cold heart," was electrical in its effects. The pathos of the scene is raised to its greatest height when the Doge comes to take a farewell embrace of his banished son ; and was rendered, if possible, doubly impressive by the Arm acting of Mr. Macready. In the next act Jacques Foscari takes a final leave of his father, before embarking for the place of exile,—but broken-hearted, expires, ere he can reach the vessel. Nothing could be more affecting than the tenacity of affection with which Mr. Mac ready clung to his son, as though it were death to part ; and the burst of parental grief as he threw himself upon the body of his " broken-hearted boy." In the sth act, we have the Doge by means of Loredano's machinations, requested by the "Ten"to re sign his ducal functions; and well did Mr. Macready express the dignity of the aged prince, when he refuses to surrender the functions which his country called him to exercise, and which he has sworn to exert to the latest hour of his life : " Ye have no right to reproach my length Of days, since every hour has been my country's. I am ready to lay down my life for her, As I have laid down dearer things than life; But for my dignity—l hold it of The whole republic : when the general will Is manifest, then you shall be answered." Induced by Loredano, the " Ten" depose the Duke ; and it would be difficult to select from the drama a more touching and impressive scene than this last, when the grief-stricken prince bids farewell to the sovereignty he has so long held with such benefit to his country. The bell of St. Mark's tolls fur the inauguration of Isis successor ; and the way in which Macready uttered the following lines:— " Well, I recognise The sound I heard it once, but once, before, And that is five-and-thirty years ago— Even then I was not young— "Eis the knell of my poor boy My heart aches bitterly !" --was as inexpressibly pathetic as the paroxysm of grief in which he drops down and expires. We have only time to add that the tragedy was produced as it could only have been, under the management of Mr. Macready—that throughout the applause of the audience was unbounded —that Mr. Macready and Miss Faucit were called for at the close, and greeted with a prolonged burst of enthu siasm which we have seldom heard equalled ; and that similar approbation hailed the announcement that the tragedy would be repeated on Wednesday week. The magnificent diorama of Stanfield was then represented to the great delight of the audience. In conclusion an opera called Windsor Castle was brought forward, but met with a damnation as unequivocal as the success of the tragedy. We wish Mr. Macready would leave opera to Drury-lane. Miss Placci, the young lady who made so successful a debut at the first Philharmonic Concert, is suffering- from severe indisposition, which has prevented her from fulfilling several professional engagements. The Duke of Devonshire will leave town on Wed nesday next, for Chatsworth, to pass the Easter recess. His Grace has issued cards for a grand entertainment on the 4th of May to their Royal Ilip,imesses the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Duchess of Gloucester. The General Steam Navigation Company's packet, the Attwood, from Rotterdam, arrived off the Custom-house yesterday ; and also the Menai, from Hamburg, and the City of Hamburg, from ditto. KYAN ; 'S PATENT. ---The 44 Anti-Dry-rot Com pany" have given notice of their intention to apply fcr a re newal of the patent, after the fourteen years for svhich it was granted have expired. As the new Act contemplated the en couragement of inventors in the extension clause, it would seem that the application should rather be from Mr. Kyan than the Company. True, as they duly rehearse, they have purchased the whole of his interest therein,—but they pur chased the patent for fourteen years only, —the extension is a bonus, due, if due at all, not to a commercial Company which has bought the monopoly of the invention for a certain term, but to the individual whose discovery, sooner or later, will bt. of advantage to the public for all time. The Company has not the shadow of a right to the renewal, unless they appl for it on behalf of the inv entor.—hlechanics' Magazine. Mr. Wray, one of the Brighton fishermen, had 40 nets sunk last week on the Devonshire coast, in consequence of the immense weight of the fish they contained; of those nets which they could bring up a few contained 4,000 fish, which were brought round to Portsmouth, and sent up to London by land carriage.—Sussex Herald, TEE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY, APRIL 9,183 S, THE CORONATION. I - '-eremony of the homage, which, It is untiergtootii has prothieed differs weighty discussionts attiong thki gentleineti of the A College, ii . ;With it i7iew to its abolition or madification in the ease of - her Majesty Queen Victoria, s.tis alsO the Occa s i o n of Mitch oti the tt)i*Sion of the IV., who, it was said, entertained strong objections td LElng 600- polled to receive the lip service of his faithful Peers on so wholesale a scale. In 1831, the subject of the homage was frequently discussed in the Privy Council, and, on the 11 th of August in that year, a rumour that it was intended to cur tail this part of the ceremony occasioned a somewhat ani mated conversation in the House of Lords. It had been pro posed in the Privy Council, that the homage should be con fined to one Peer from each order of the Peerage, in pur suance of the plan which had been followed at the coronation of George IV. ; but this homage by sponsors was indignantly repudiated by Lord Strangford and the Duke of Wellington as " disgraceful and unseemly ;" and the Marquis of London derry went so far as to declare, with much warmth, that " there were individuals in the Peerage who would transfer to no man their right of tendering homage to their Sovereign, which was a sacred and most important part of the ceremony." Ultimately the homage by sponsors was abandoned, and the ancient ceremonial observed, as follows : " The Archbishop of Canterbury knelt before the King, and, for himself and the other Lords spiritual, pronounced the words of homage—' I, William, Archbishop of Canterbury, will be faithful and true, and faith and truth will bear unto You, our Sovereign Lord, and your heirs, Kings of Great Britain; and I will do and truly acknowledge the service of the lards which I claim to hold of you as in right of the Church. So help me God.' The Archbishop then rose and kissed his Majesty's left cheek; the Bishops present did the like and retired. When the Lords Spiritual bad performed homage, the Duke of Cumberland ascended the steps of the throne, and, kneelinr , before the Kin g , pronounced for himself an d t h e other Dukes' of the Blood Royal the words of homage Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, do become your lie ge man of life and limb, and of earthly worship, and faith and truth I will bear unto you, to live and die against all manner of folks. So help me God.' The Duke of Cumberland then touched the Crown on his Majesty's head, and kissed his Ma jesty's left cheek ; the rest of the Dukes of the Blood Royal doing the like after him, and then retiring. " The Dukes and other Peers then observed the same ce remony—the senior of each degree pronouncing the words of homage, and the rest of the same degree saying after him, and each Peer of the same degree successively touching his Majesty's Crown, and kissing his Majesty's left check, and then retiring." The anointing is a part of the ceremony more recommended by antiquity than delicacy, and will probably be omitted alto gether. Several workmen were on Saturday taken on by Mr. Ben nett, one of the contractors for the erection of the platform on which her Majesty and the procession will walk from the Royal Palace to Westminster Abbey on the approaching so lemnity. The platform is to pass through the Park. The exact line has not yet been promulgated, but the works are to be commenced next week. BANKRUPTCY REFORM BY C. PANE, ESQ., ONE OF TILE COMMIS3IONERS OF lIER )ESTY'S COURT OF BANKRUPTCY. In 1801, when Lord Eldon first took his scat as Lord Chan cellor, he described the Bankrupt Law as a disgrace to the c itintrv. " There is no mercy" he said, "to the estate. Nothing is less thought of than the Commission. Unless the Court holds a strong hand over bankruptcy, particularly as administered in the country, itis itself accessory to as great a nuisance, as any known in the land, and known to pass under the forms of law." According to his Lordship, justice and equity were entirely disregarded, and the only object of Com missioners, Assignees, and Solicitors, in the country, was the plunder of the estate. Just thirty years afterwards, Lord Brougham found the system nearly as bad ; the law, and the administration of the law, he ascribed as equally defective, and so inveterate, and so enormous had the mass of abuses become, that even with all his Herculean powers, he shrunk back at the attempt to clean out at once this Augean stable. He commenced by establishing a Court for the better admi nistration of the law, as preparatory to the improve ment of the law itself, but with the exception of the benefit derived from the appointment of official assignees the evil remains in all its original magnitude. The Court, ac cording to Mr. Fane, is not much improved, for " it has been decided by the Court of Exchequer that the administration of justice in Bankruptcy, so far as concerns the really useful Courts, should remain as before, under the old species of , un intelligible jurisdiction which may well be called nondescript," and, according t o the sa me authority, the l aw i s st ill, as it formerly was, only an instrument whereby to practice folly, absurdity, fraud, and perjury. This startling fact he describes as a truth, which a ten years' experienc e under the system lately superseded, and a six years' experience under that which has succeeded it, have indelibly impressed upon his mind; namely, that the Bankrupt Law is a mass of folly and absur dity from beginning to end ; that it violates every principle of common sense ; that it is the occasion of the grossest injustice, and the most appalling frauds and perjuries ; that, as a whole, it is a disgrace to a civilized community ; and that, if it does not produce all the mischiefs, which its monstrous principles would naturally generate, it is because the good sense and good feeling of mankind counteract the absurdities and iniquities of the law. He gives an outline of this beautiful system in three letters addressed to Sir R. Peel, and announces his intention of proposing, after he has finished a series of letters, a plan for remedying those evils. He bears ample testimony to the practical soundness of the principles on which Lord Brougham's plan was founded, but despairs of these principles ever being carried out by the present head of the law, or the law-officers of the Crown, or the functionaries of the law, who have evinced their aversion to it by "putting forced constructions upon the Bankruptcy Act, and the King's Letters-patent —constructions utterly subversive of the prin ciples upon which Lord Brougham's plan of reform was based." We are a f ra id t h ere i s too muc h trut h i n t h e statement. Onemight as soon expect to see a m i rac l e as sec a pr i vate or public body reform itself, or remove abuses by which it profits. " .Pressure from with out " i s t h e on l y di s i nterested ge nuine, radical reformer, and till this agent undertakes the cause debtors and creditors will continue to be plun dered as they have hitherto been. The case of Mr. Chambers shows how much th e serv i ces o f this agent' are required to abate the a b om i na bl e nu i sance of the Bankruptcy laws. " Mr. Chambers," says Mr. Fane " was declared bankrupt in 1823 : he d en i e d t h at h e had coin.' mitted any act of bankruptcy, and resisted his commission. From that time to the present, the question whether he is bankrupt or not has lren in litigation ; and although twelve years have elapsed, and 170,0001. have been received by his assignees, the question of his bankruptcy remains undecided and not one farthing has reached his genera l creditors. ' Meanwhile, there has been that wasteful administration of his property, which, without any fault in assignees, is inseparable from such a state of things : thirty thousand pounds (! !!) have been paid to the solicitors to the estate, and other solicitors, who have concurred with them in supporting the commission ; between ten and twenty thousand pounds have been the costs of Mr. Chambers ; between three and four thousand pounds have been paid to an accountant, and more than one thousand to the official assignee ; and thus nearly fifty thousand pounds have been spent, without even ascertaining whether the party be bankrupt. It will scarcely be believed, that the question, upon w hich fifty thousand pounds have been spent thus fruit lessly, was, whether Mr. Chambers had on some occasion desired a servant to say not at home' to a creditor when he called. When I last heard of Mr. Chambers, he was in a debtor.' prison." •4 may convenient a stoppi ng -p isicebe fcr the passing trade adverse winds. I therefore submit that Holyhead Harbour is, perhaps, the most eligible situation for the packets, as at present established, but that it does not offer a suitable place for the erection of large end s expensive worles in order to protect vessels of in cieaged draught Cif water; and that for a harbour of refuge it si So situated as to lie iristifficient..,-.I (Signed) W. L. 011BRINGHAM, Lieutenant, R. Ni Capt. Beaufort, R. N., F. R. S., Hydrographer i Admiralty: HOLYHEAD HARBOUR. Cory of a REfORT on theAtinolia of HOLYHEAD, made in pursuance of the Report of the Select Committee appointed to inquire into the existing Communication between London and Dublin, ani to consider what Improvement could be made therein. H. F. AMEDROZ, Chief Clerk. Admiralty, March 27, 1838. London, March 14, 1839. Sir,—ln obedience to your direction to report on the quali fication and capacity for improvement in Holyhead Harbour as a packet station, and also as a harbour of refuge for the trade passing up and down the Irish Channel, I have the honour to state that my opinion as to the merits of that harbour for the steam-packet establishment, as at present constituted, end for the class of vessels at present employed, is, that it very fairly answers the purpose intended, and that I doubt whetber a more desirable packet station on this side of the Channel could be selected. But if it should be determined to employ steam-ships of a greater size, and if a greater size should necessarily involve . a greater draught of water, then I do not think that the capaci ties_e of Holyhead Harbour, as at present'constructed, would b sufficient for the above-mentioned service. In this case, two methods have been proposed for its im provement. First, the extension of the present pier into deeper water; second, the construction of a new harbour to the northward of the present one. Both these plans appear to be open to serious objections. By extending the present pier, the entrance to the harbour would be thrown too far to the eastward, and too near th e rocks on that side of the bay ; and - it is doubtful whether the deeper water thus obtained could be long preserved, as the very large quantity of silt which fills the inner harbour would probably accompany the extension of the pier-head. The objections to the new harbour appear to be these : It is well known that in gales of wind from north to west , the sea at present breaks over the pier with great violence ; and that from the heavy swell reflected into the harbour from the eastern side of the bay, vessels frequently break away from their fastenings to the pier. Yet the present pier is greatly protected by the very rocks over which it is proposed to carry the outer wall of a new harbour, which would therefore be exposed to a still more violent sea than that which affects the present berth of the packets. With respect to its being a harbour of refuge, the merits of which essentially depend on the facilities of access, it may be towhichquestionedlies. whebeititeie anyr vci i h harbour two bouris p e ie a r s - y he o a f d a s e , cess the entrance which each other so as to afford compl e t e s h e lt er inagale a o p f p N r wind, and a heavy sea reaching to the very mouth of the harbour ; every seaman knows the imminent danger of being thrown on one or other of these piers ; but even if the harbour were good and easily entered, Holyhead is not an advantageous position. A port of refuge implies a secure and accessible anchorage for all vessels which can neither keep at sea nor avoid the -pore; and therefare, from the prominent situation of Holy head, such term can never be applied to that place, however EXETER-SATURDAY. We have had a good deal of local euiternent here this week, oaing to the discovery of the chance of recovering to the gity a charity property worth 1,500/. a year. In the year 1632 one Elize Hele a benevolent man who bestowed large estates in charity, left certain manors, one-fourth part of which should go for the maintenance of a school, and the remaining three fourths for the building of workhouses or almshouses, &c. or such other godly, pious, and charitable purposes as certain parties, his executors, should think fit; one fourth had been duly appropriated ; that is, asehool was established, but for many years past it had only been used as a source of patronage to the old corporation, who generally gave the mastership to some tool or tool's relative of their own, who regularly charged for the education that he dispensed in this free grammar school. The consequence of this order of things was, that the citizens instead of regarding the establishment as a blessing looked upon it as a mockery, and no public interest was ever taken in it in proportion to its real value. To this school as I have said one-fourth of the property was appropriated, the remainder was to be applied (as it accumulated) to other godly and pious works ; but it was found when the charity Commissioners came some years ago, that the pious and godly appropriation of the three-fourths was to the heirs of the executors. The conse quence of this appropropriation was that the property relapsed to the Crown ever since 1825, and it was discovered the other day that two parties were quietly petitioning the Crown to obtain a grant of it. One of these parties were the heirs of the executors—the other consisted of the Church charity trus tees of this city. The first wanted the money for their own personal benefit, the second to increase their power and in fluence, and to augment the charities that are left exclusively to one section of the state—the Established Church. Mr. Mark Kennaway, with the vigilance and talents that are al. ways at the disposal of his fellow townsmen, having discovered these secret movements, immediately obtained a public meet tug, and the subject was brought fully before the city on Mon day last. The parsons mustered in great numbers, and a regular fight took place. Mr. Kennaway, in a very able speech, proposed a resolution that steps should be taken to en deavour to obtain a grant of the property from the Crown fur the benefit of the city at large ; the church party wanted to add, "to be applied in conformity with the will of the donor," or words to that effect. The object of this motion was evidently to clog the grant with something that would limit its utility, and it was therefore resisted, and on the Chairman putting the amendment it was negatived by a very large majority. The clerical party were headed by the Rev. Dr. Bull, a multifarious parson, who gets more in one year than all the apostles got for their preaching in the whole course of their lives. In fact, it may be said as regards money matters, that it costs less to establish primitive Christianity in the world, than it takes to maintain this Rev. Doctor to keep it going in one limited district. He was followed by the Rev. Mr. Bartholomew, the Rev. Precentor Lowe, Mr. Ralph Barnes, the Secretary and legal adviser of Bishop Phillpotts, and Mr. John Daw, the attorney to the Church Charity Trustees. You never saw such a badgering as they gave Mr. Kenna way, constantly arguing on perverted quotations of his speech, and as fast as he set them right on one point they fell wrong on another. After the resolution was carried, a memorial was proposed by Mr. Snell to the Lords of the Treasury. The clergy first objected to this that the meeting was not the proper place to frame a memorial in, and insisted on the appointment of a Committee. This point was about to be conceded, when they immediately discovered that they would not pledge them selves to take a memorial even from the Committee, unless the complexion of the Committee pleased them ; in other words, unless they could have their own way. The conse quence was that the memorial was withdrawn, and a public meeting called for Monday next, to take the question finally into consideration, when both parties will no doubt muster strongly, there being a report in the town that the Parsons intend to pack the hall. The speakers among the Reformers were J. Tyrrell, Esq., Recorder of Tiverton ; Mr. Sayell ; Mr. Osborn ; Mr. M. Kennaway ; Mr. Holwell ; and Mr. Snell. The Mayor presided, and received the unanimous thanks of the meeting. CLERICAL FORGIVENESS.—A memorial has been sent off to day to the Duchess of Kent, in behalf of the Rev. Fisher Turner, who is anxious to get the living of Stanbridge in Essex, which it is understood is in the gift of her Royal High ness. The Rev. Gentleman is an out-and-out Tory, and a very dull untalented Divine—the only claims that he possesses on the consideration of a Reform Government. The memo rial has been signed by forty clergyman, who, however much they may hate the Government, are very forgiving when there are any favours to be disposed of. This " forty par son poll er " of recommendation will probably prevail. NEGRO SLAVERY. (FROM A CORRESPONDENT.) The position taken up by those who have opposed the im mediate abolition of negro slavery is untenable—consequently the arguments brought to support it are futile and ill founded. A contract is said to have been entered into with the planters at the time of the passing of the Bill in 1833—an implied engagement on the part of the Government and Legislature not to set the slaves entirely at liberty before the expiration of the time mentioned in that Act. Now, in the first place, the nature of the transaction precludes the possibility of any con tract expressed or implied ; secondly, if a contract has been entered into it has been broken by the planters. In order to constitute a contract, it is necessary that the contracting par ties should have a right to the subject of the contract, other wise the contract is a nullity, as far as regards a third party whose interest is affected by it. Now in the particular case before us neither of the supposed contracting parties had any right to that which they were contracting for. The planters had no property in the negroes, except one, derived from a barbarous and revolting cus tom ; the legislature his no right over the liberty of any of those under its controul, if they have not forfeited that liberty by infringing the laws enacted for the advantage of the community. How then can we imply a contrary, when neither of the parties were in a situation to enter into one ? But supposing a contract to exist—it has been broken, bar barously and cruelly broken, by the planters—putting the case in the strongest way possible in their favour, allowing the ap prenticeship system to have been part of the price stipulated for the ransom of the negroes, there has been a failure of the consideration on their part. That consideration was the bet tering of the condition of the slaves during the term of their apprenticeship, and a total liberation at the end of a certain period of time. But what is the fact—has the condition of those wretched objects of sympathy been ameliorated ? It is infinitely worse than it was before the passing of the Act of 1833 . The same cruel punishments are inflicted—the time of labour is increased—the allowance of f oo d i s di m inished—the slave-master is no longer restrained by the selfish fear of in juring his proierty in wasting the negro's str eng th ; hi s on l y object is to make as much as lie can o the short time during which he is yet entitled to the compulsory labour of his victim. But the planters, it is said, arc entitled to compensation. If an y compensation could make up for loss of liberty and the crue lty to w hich the negroes hsve been subj ec t e d, i t should come f ro m the ill-gotten hoards of those who have enriched themselves at the expence of the liberty and blood of their fellow-creatures. E. S. T. EAST INDIA SHIPPING. The Alexander Baring, from China, has arrived off Ply_ mouth, ailed Dec. 11, and from St. H e l ena, Feb. 12. The uth' sCollingwood, from Bengal, has arrived at Liverpool, sailed Nov. 30, and from St. Helena Feb. 4. Arrivals at Sc. Helena.—The Perfect, Feb. 7, from Cal cutta and the Cape, and sailed on the 7th, for London; the American whaler North America, Feb. 7, from Whaling ; the Menado, Feb. 7, fro m B atav i a, and sailed Batavia, and Feb. 9, for Rotterdam ; Conte de Chazell cs , F e b . 7 , f rom Bourbon, and sailed, Feb. 7, for Nantes ' • Griffin, Feb. 8, 6. 0 „, Seychelles, for London; Coromandel, Feb. 8, from Cal cutta and the Cape, and sailed, Feb. 8, for London ; Commo dore, and the Indian Chief ( American), Feb. 8, both from Whaling ; Joseph Peabody, Feb. 8, from the west coast of Africa and Rio ; American whalers, and the Canton Packet, Feb. 9 ; Electra, Margaret, and Albion, Feb. 10, all from Whaling ; Eliza, Feb. 10, from Mauritius, passed for London ; Fairlie, Feb. 11, from Manilla and the Cape, and sailed, Feb. 12, for London ; Tory, Feb. 11, from Bombay, passed for Liverpool; Calcutta, Feb. 12, from Bombay, and sailed, Feb. 12, for Liverpool. The Alexander Baring spoke the Dutch sloop Sophia, from Java, off the Cape. China, Dec. 10.—The Frances Ann, and the Jamaica,'will sail on the 11th inst., and the Slains Castle, and the Carnatie, Dec. 12, all for London. The Lady Grant will be despatched, on the 11th, for Singapore, Penang, and Calcutta. The Himmaleh, from China, arrived at New York on the Bth ult., sailed Sept. 21; Anjeer, on the 3d of November ; and St. Helena, on the 6th of January. The Adolphe, from Bourbon, arrived at Havre on the 31st of March. Mazatlan, Jan. 10.—The Resource is loaded and to leave in a week for London. The Vesper to leave at the end of February for London. Arrivals at San Blas.--The Harlequin, and the Enfield, from China, and the Harlequin to sail on the loth of Feb ruary back. A young man of a melancholy appearance, named Chayers, went on the night of Friday last to lodge at the Artichoke, White Hart-street, and ordered a pint of be er, which h e carried to his room, for the purpose, as he said, of drinking during the night. He gave positive orders that no one sho u ld trou b le hini until ten o'clock the next m ornin g and on going to the bedroom about eleven o'clock on Saturday. he scarcely exhibited signs of life. Information was sent to the station-house , Bow street, and Mr. Macraw, accompanied by police-constable Milton, 10 F., went to the place, and on the table in the room they found a bottle which had been filled with laudanum, and from his pocket another was taken. A quantit y o f arsenic was l i kew i se found, wrappe d in a piece of paper. It was now evident that he had taken poison, and Dr. Walker was called, who gave him an emetic. He was then conv e y e d to Ch ar i ng - cross H osp i ta l, w here he now re mains, In his pockets were found a large nu mber of letters from s ome " fair ladye," with whom it is supposed he had quarrelled. `TP.RSITY INTELLIGENCE. UN' last day t of Term a OXFORD, APRIL 7.—=Thls being congregation was holden, cot gmnting, degrees, c., when the following were conferred :-- MASTER OF ARTS.—Arthur Fitz-John Foster, of Trinity College. BACHELOR OF ARTS.—Wm. Winchester, of Christ Church. On Thursday last Mr. Henry Highton was elected a Scho lar on the Michell Foundation of Queen's College. The Lord Bishop of Worcester has instituted the Hon. and and Rev. Wm, Whits'orth Chetwynd Talbot, of Christ Church, to the vicarage of Ombersley, in the County of Wor cester ; Lord Sandys, patron. The Rev. Precentor Lowe, Commissary of the Bishop of Exeter. has instituted the Rev. W. J. Coope, of Brazennose College, to the rectory of Falmouth ; Lord Woodhouse, patron. The Rev. Charles Worthy . , of Queen's College, has been elected by the Exeter Church Charity trustees to the Bod leian lectureship in Exeter, for the year ensuing. The Rev. Octavius Fox, of Lincoln College, has been ap pointed Head Master of the Grammar School attached to the Cathedral of Worcester. The Proctors elect are, the Rev. W. Ricketts, Morton College; Rev. T. T. Bazeley, Brazennose College. The first day of Easter Term will be Wednesday, April 25. THE LATE THOMAS MORTON. We have lost unquestionably one of the brightest ornaments of our dramatic literature, and a man who was the delight of every company into which he entered. He was of course de voutly beloved by the various members of his very united and amiable family. He has left behind him a widow and, we understand, three sons and a daughter. One of the sons holds an office in a public department, and is besides the author of several excellent farces; another is an artist of distinguished talents, and among his performances we may point out the portrait just published of Charles Kean, as " Hamlet," which he drew upon stone from Chalon's design. The eldest son was for some years in India, whence he returned not very long since in bad health ; and his daughter was married in that country. Morton was one of the most successful dramatists that ever lived ; had the Copyright Act been in existence twenty years before it was passed, he would have realised a fortune by Ins writings. To show the confidence placed in his abilities by the managers of our theatres, we need only state, that when his " Town and Country" was to be brought out, in March, 1807, Mr. Harris, of Covent Garden, before the parts had been written out for rehearsal, agreed to give him a draft for 1,0001. for it, the theatre taking all risks of success or failure. How well Mr. Harris was rewarded for his liberality we need not say, for " Town and Country" is one of the stock pieces of every theatre in the kingdom. John Kemble was the ori ginal Reuben Glenroy, but it was also a favourite part with Kean. Morton had previously written " Columbus," " The Children in the Wood," " Zorinski," " The Way to get Married," " A Cure for the Heartache," " Speed the Plough," " Secrets worth Knowing," " The Blind Girl," and " The School of Reform." Every one of these, except ing " Columbus" and " Zorinski," still keeps possession of the stage, or at all events did so while we had actors for them, and until their place was wrongfully usurped by translated trash and modern monstrosities. " Co lumbus" was produced as long since as 1792, and often has the author been heard to regret that it was not hissed from the boards; it changed the cjlour of his future life, and drew him from a profession in which he might have acquired fortune and distinction. That which was matter of sincere lamenta tion with him will be a subject of permanent rejoicing with the public, too often benefitted at the expense of individuals, and too seldom grateful for the advantage. Among Morton's later productions were, " A Rowland for an Oliver, acted for the first time in 1819, and the " Invinci bles," brought out in 1828. Of the one Miss Foote was the heroine, and Madame Vestris of the other. His judgment was so good, his skill so great, and his popularity so general, that he was always the " surest card" in the hands of a mana ger ; and his " School for Grown Children," which is by no means one of his best Comedies, was played twenty-four times at Covent Garden in the season of 1826-7. At the time of his death he was in his 74th year, having been born in Durham in 1764. The early death of one or both of his parents placed him under the care of an uncle of the name of Maddison, after whom he named his second son, and by whom he was provided for when young. He was sent to the then celebrated school in Soho-square, which is remarkable for having produced several popular actors and dramatists. Homan was Morton's class-fellow, and had the character of " Alonzo" in his first play, " Columbus," in which the father of the present lessee of Covent-Garden had likewise a part. Morton acquired his earliest theatrical taste while at school, but at the proper age he was entered by his uncle a student of Lincoln's-inn, but ho was never called to the bar. While keeping his terms ho was a constant play-goe r , a nd it ended in his own experiment as a play-writer, and his abandonment of the pro fession for which he was destined, but for which he had no predilection. He accordingly became a dramatist, and for many years added considerably to his income by the singularly successful efforts of his pen. He was always a man of re spectable and regular habits, and he kept the best company, his society being sought by persons of the first distinction, who had either taste or talent. Morton's conversation was full of anecdote and sprightly humour, never deviating into grossness, and never overlaying the solid foundations of ex tensive knowledge, good sense, and sound discretion. He made no obtrusive pretensions, and sometimes allowed other people a larger share than the rest of his auditors were willing to give them in his company. To the younger aspirants of the stage, whether as authors or actors, he invariably attri buted their full proportion of merit ; and his charitable esti mate of others, and too severe criticism of himself, was now and then carried almost to a fault. Yet he was as sincere a man as ever lived, and if he did not constantly say all he thought, he never uttered what he did not think. He was not only steady but ready in his friendships, and never forgot, when it was in his power to give, that assistance which he had sometimes needed himself. From early youth to the last year of his life, Morton was remarkably fond of the noble and manly game of cricket, and he was a constant attendant at Lord's Ground, being the senior member of the Marylebone Club. He had seen all the great players, from the Beldams and Walkers of former days to the Wenmans and Pilchs of our own, and as he delighted to talk about their achievements, there was no man living who could give a more lively and characteristic account of their peculiar styles and qualifications. He was never himself, we believe, much distinguished either as a batter or a bowler, but he was an admirable judge of the best mode of disposing a field, so that the excellence of the whole eleven players might he adapted to their situations in it. About two years ago, he was elected an honorary mem ber of the Garrick Club—a distinction the more coveted, as there never is but one individual so selected, for his high claims in connection with the stage. Until his late illness, he was by no means an unfrequent attendant there in the morn ing, but in consequence of the regularity of his habits of life, the evening meetings of the Society, which are said to be very attractive, were rarely attended by him. His theatrical re rniniseences extended as far back as the time of Henderson, and he recollected the first introduction of the Kembles to the metropolis. We hope that the successor to his place in the Garrick Club may possess the same amiable and companion able qualities. That he had no personal enemies we will not say, but we will assert that he had as few as was consistent with that straightforward independence of character, whiclt too often excites the animosity of those who are loss direct and fearless, and who generally pay to honesty the attribute of their rancour.—Sunday Paper. The illarehioness of Wellesley, who is in a deli cate state of health, has left town for Norwood, far the benefit of the air of that salubrious village. TIIE BRIBERY ACTIONS (BRISTOL). —The re sult of these actions is, briefly, that of the six entered for trial at Gloucester three have termi iated in verdicts for the defen dants, one has gone off for ever by the withdrawal of a juror by the plaintiff, and two stand over nominally until the next assizes, there not being a sufficient numly•r of jurors in attend ance. We believe our readers may fully consider them at an end. There is one point which it would be criminal to over look—the defendants. As they have been marked out to ba victimized, becau se th e y are Liberals, it is the duty of every honest Liberal to do his part to save them from pecuniary loss —Bristol Mercury . _ _ _ The consumption of the finer sorts of gunpowder in 1836 was less than in the preceding year by about 40,0001 b. This is attributed to the mifavourable state of the weather during the. sporting season, and the scarcity of game. The consumption of the coarser gunpowder for blasting in 1836 exceeded that of 1835 by 111,4241 h., thereby showing an im mense increase in the working of mines and quarries.— Galignani's Ilkssenger. SERIOUs ACCIDENT.—Last night, between seven and eight o'clock, as a child, about seven years of age, was crossing the road at the top of Monmouth-street, Seven Dials, a gentleman in his gig, driving at a steady pace, ran against it, the horse of which knocked it down and dreadfully tram pled upon it. The poor little sufferer was immediately picked up, and conveyed to the shop of a surgeon close by, whence it was re-moved to Charing-cross Hospital, in a dangerous state, in consequence of the severe injuries it had received, and it was feared that the skull was fractured. At Nancy a boy, seven years old, a few days ago, having committed some fault, was confined by his schoolmas ter in an out-house, where a game cock hart taken up his abode. The pugnacious bird was so enraged at the intrusion that he attacked the poor child, and wounded him so severely that he died in twenty-four hours, partly from the effect of the injuries he had received, but chiefly from the fright he had un dergone. BENTLEY'S MISCELLANY.—The April number of this popular monthly publication exceeds in attraction, it' possible, any of its predecessors. For its richness of humour and burlesque, the " Modern Eclogue" will he read again and again, and so will the curious story of " The Snuff-box." No man who has ever ridden in an omnibus can fail to have 11;s curiosity strongly aroused by the extraordinary incidents de tailed in the narrative called " The Conveyance Company ;" while the " Nights at Sea" gives us the 'Star" of Nelson's school in all his queer glory. But though comedy predomi nates in this miscellany, the editor has wiscly administered to the taste of all readers by the insertion of some tales and sketches of pathos and tragic power. Such are the " Love Story, in three chapters," a sketch which we must attribute to the pen of Dr. Maginn ; and " The Narrative of Johl Ward G ibson," a story of intense passion and terror. Other productions are included in the number, while, as a crowning excellence, the reader is presented with some new chapte:s of the inimitable " Oliver Twist," by the editor himself, Bez.' GREAT WESTERN STEAM-SHIP. This magnificent vessel arrived in this port on Monday evening last, ablut six o'clock, having completed her voyage round from London, being 700 mil es , i n 56 hours. She , loft nt:moorings at Brunswick Wharf on Saturday morning at six: o'clock, in passing down the river, excited a degree of interest in t h e ,;erentific world and among nautical men, which, according to the London papers, has scarcely ever been exceeded. As she floated majestically down the Themes, she was saluted with repeated cheers, " 'When she as fairly afloat in open water," says The Sun," the log line, a patens one, was cast, and her speed ascertained to be fifteen knotsara hour, which di s p roves th e assert i on o f ac me of our Morning. Coternporaries, that she was outstripped on her trial thrt other day by the Sirius ; in fact, the latter vessel never passed her at all until the two vessels were proceeding in contrary directions, and then the Sirius had no burthen on board ; the Great Western had 500 tons of coals. At a little after seven she reached Gravesend, having performed the distance in the space of 1 hour 14 minutes. Here most of the visitors (amongst whom we recognised the venerable Mr. Brunel). with the Custom house officer, were put in a boat and rowed ashore." Here we must advert to an accident, fortunately a trifling one, but of which some greatly exaggerated accounts appeared in some of the evening papers of Monday. The circum stance to which we allude was an alarm cif fire, and occurred about half an hour she had left Gravesend. It appears that to prevent the radiation of heat, the boilers had been coated with felt, and the men employed in this work havhls . impro perly used a quantity of oil and red lead to make the iziaterial adhere, and having also inconsiderately carried the covering too near the funnel, it ignited. The danger, which was scon over, served to bring into action the efficient means which were at hand to meet the emergency, and to display the cool intrepi dity of the commander, and the officers and men. A powerful jet of water was directed upon the flames by the engine pumps be longing to the vessel, and a portable fire-engine with which the ship is furnished, was also put in requisition. By these means, if there were any on board who felt anxious for the safety of the vessel, their fears were speedily dissipated. During the alarm the vessel was stopped and suffered to take the ground ; but her machinery having been inspected by the manufacturers, Messrs. Maudsley and Field who were on board and reported all sound, the Great Western on the return of the tide, after a delay of four hours, proceeded on her voyage, and arrived in Kingroad, as abovo stated, Monday evening. The slight repairs necessary in consequence of the acci dent were finished on Tuesday, and having completed the taking in of her freightage, &c., on Thursday she was thrown open to the public, and has since been visited by thousands of our fellow-citizens. Every steam-packet on the river, and every boat capable of carrying passengers have been in requi sition, generally plying twice a day. On Thursday there could not have been less than a thousand persons on board at the same time. The appearance of the vessel on tho water is noble in the extreme. We believe, on the whole, she is the largest ever built ; and she is pronounced by good judges of naval architec ture to reflect the highest credit on her builders (Messrs. Pat terson and Mercer), and, indeed, on all concerned. To the multitude, however, her internal arrangements and decorations (which we described in our paper of last week), arc tho prin cipal points of admiration. The Great Western will leave Kingroad this afternoon, at two o'clock, and proceed direct on her adventurous voyage to New York. That is may prove a prosperous one, and realize the fondest expectations of her spirited proprietors, is our most ardent wish. —Bristol Mercury of Saturday. IRELAND. We have reason to believe that Lieutenant-Colonel. M=Gre gor, of the 93d Highlanders, is to succeed Colonel Shaw Kennedy, as Inspector-General of the Constabulary. Lieu tenant-Colonel M'Gregor is well known to the country as au officer of the highest distinction, and from personal character, ❑o less than from habits of business and professional reputa tion, is particularly qualified for the situation to which he is about to be appointed by the Lord Lieutenant. —Dublin Even ing Post. The King's County Orange Magistrates have been imitat ing their Carlow brethren in addressing obnoxious functionaries. ATROCIOUS MURDER.—( From the !Yalu:ford Chronicle.)--- W e regret exceedingly to have to announce, on the authority of a private letter received in town yesterday (Friday) morning from a gentleman in Clonmel, that a diabolical murder arcs perpetrated on Thursday, between the city of Cashel and the town of Tipperary, on a highly respectable man, Mr. Austin Cooper, son of Wm. Cooper, Esq., of Killenure, and brother in-law of Ambrose Lane, Esq., the Treasurer of that county, and that a gentleman named Weyland, who was tra velling with him was fired at and wounded at the same time. The facts of the horrible massacre as stated to us on the authority we have mentioned are simply these Mr. Austin Cooper :was on his way, in company with Mr. Weyland and another gentleman, to the fair of Tipperary Town—they were met on the road between Cashel and Tipperary, by a party of armed ruffians, who immediately fired at them, killed Mr. Cooper on the spot, and wounded Mr. Weyland. One of Mr. Cooper's party fired in their own defence, and wounded one of the banditti, who deliberately reloaded their fire-arms, and took their disabled comrade away. This afflicting tragedy was enacted on a populous road, at the hour of eight o'clock in the morning. Mr. Cooper, it ap pears, was recently married to a sister of Captain Long of Longfield, whose father was some years ago shot in the same county, under circumstances of a frightful nature. Whilst we blush for the county that contain such reckless miscreants, who, in the noon-day, and on a populous road, would embruo their hands in the blood of their fellow-men, we apprehend that there must be some cause for this frightful slaughter which has cast another stigma on the character of Tipperary. The circumstance of Mr. Cooper and his party being armed, leads to the conclusion that they were conscious of danger; and it is obvious that there must have been some reason why they were. Could it be that the murdered gen tleman was a harsh and despotic landlord—that he harrassed and ejected his tenantry, and drove them to desperation ? If not, why did he fear danger, and not go out without being well armed ? We admit that this is no excuse whatever for the awful crime that has been perpetrated at the very close of an assizes, on which every Irishman was congratulating him self—but it relieves in some degree the hideous features of the picture ; and we would tell those who would gloat with delight over the details of the dreadful deed, i❑ order to disparage and libel the government of Earl Mulgrave, to bear it in mind before they lay its perpetration at the doors of unstimulated passion and revenge. We trust that the ratirderers shall be soon detected, and receive their deserts at the Lands of out raged justice and humanity. THE POOR LAW BILL—The gentry of Wicklow met last Tuesday for the purpose of preparing a petition to be pse sented to the House of Lords against the Bill for the Relief of the Poor, now under the consideration of Parliament. A series of resolutions, embodying the objections of the meeting, was passed; the 6th and last adopted was, " That a petition be presented to the House of Lords, embodying the resolu tions, praying that their Lordships will not suffer the proposed Bill to pass, but to take such measures as they thought fit to carey the objects of the resolutions into effect—to promote asylums for the infirm, and employment for the able-bodied, and that said petition be entrusted to the Earl of Wicklow." The Duke of Devonshire has lent his villa atKeinp town to Sir Augustus Clifford for the Easter recess. The parties at the Noble Duke's town mansion have been discon tinued until after the Easter rmess. On Tuesday, as Mr. J. Smedley, a gentleman re siding at Matlock Baths, was taking a walk with his sore a youth of eleven years of age, he imprudently mounted a rock overhanging the deepest part of the Derwent, from which he fell into the stream. Mr. Smedley was sinking, and his son, unable to afford him any assistance, cried out loudly for help, when Mr. James Pearson ran to the spot, jumped into the river, and succeeded in rescuing the drowning man, who was quite insensible when brought to shore, but was speedily restored to animation. It is a singular circumstance, that Mr. Pearson has s wed six individuals from drowning in the river Derwent ; and, in each ease, at the hazard of his own life. Derby Mercury. The town of Osnaburg has petitioned the Germanic Confederation to restore the Constitution granted to Hanover by William the Fourth, and in case the Diet should declare itself incompetent so to do, at least to oblige the King of ilaeover to restore to his subjects the Constitution of 1819, but not to force them to accept the one nox submitted to the Chamber. It is expected that most of the other towns of the kingdom will follow the example set by Osnaburge—Sanday Paper. Mr. Macaulay is now on his way from India, as is also Sir Wil.nut Horton, fun Ceylon. The Earl end Coun tess of Cardigan (late Lord and Lady Brudenell) may also be expected borne from India shortly. —Leeds Mercury. A dexterous run was effected here (Brighton) by a gang of smugglers, on Friday night. Shortly before day break two policemen on duty at the eastern part of the town gave information at the Custom-house, that they had Icon a body of men issuing from the area of an uninhabited house at the south-west corner of Burlington-street, who, with albs slung over their shoulders, had passed hastily up Burlington street towards the Downs. The Custom-house officers gave information to the Coast Guard ; and some officers and men of that service immediately went in pursuit of the smugglers. They were unable for a long time to discover any trace of them ; but at length, on searching a barn near the Cavalry Barracks, they found thirteen tube of spirits of gin, about 45 over proof, which they seized; together with a horse and cart which were standing near the barn. The cart here the eame of " Stephen [leather, butcher, Brighton." Three libel' . ers at work in the lawn were also taken, amid in the course of the day underwent a private examination before the Magistrates, after which they were remanded till this (Thursday) morning. The " run" appears to have been effected through a tunnel from the beach to the area of the above-mentioned house, dense fog, which prevailed that morning, shielding the smugglers from observation. On the same day an old beet was picked up at sea, it which it is supposed that the smugglers had conveyed the tube to Alert , . Sonic of the smuggled rits,were found at the residence of the policemen who gave the information, both of Whom have since decamped,_Brvi on Gazette. WORKSOP MANOR AND ESTATE.—The Duke of Norfolk has sold his splendid mansion and estate to the Duke of Newcastle, for 370,000/. ; the income of the property just exceeds 10,000/. a year, and the value of the wood on it is 150.000/. We arc happy to contradict the rumour that the magnificent mansion is fi t u o n la t., p , u l, lle a d s ado%vn. residenceO nfotrhtelleeoEntirryoyi it will L l b n e . -- im b n o e r i t i c ia a t s e te l e Y • Ga.zEtte. I